Nathaniel barnaby



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NATHANIEL BARNABY, or LEWISHAM, ENGLAND.

MOUNTING FOR GUNS lN SHIPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,685, dated September 16, 1890. Application filed December 28, 1889. Serial No. 335,258. (No model.) Patented in France July 29, 1889,1T0.199,859.

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL BARNABY, K. O. 13., a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Moray House, Belmont Hill, Lewisham, in the county of Kent, England, have invented certain new and useful Mountings for Guns in Ships, (for which I have received Letters Patent in France, No. 199,859, dated July 29, 1889,) of which the following is a specification. I

The introduction of very powerful explosives for projectiles and the recent great improvements in the rapidity of fire of breechloading guns make it desirable that the smaller classes of guns not hitherto protected by armor as to their supporting-platform or as to their service of ammunition shall be protected in these respects. The plan hitherto adopted, or proposed for adoption, for preventing the explosion of shells beneath the platform and for protecting the ammunitionservice is a reversion to the costly and ineflicient side armor formerly used for protecting broadside guns, but of'late years happily abandoned. WVhat I propose differs altogether from this, and is designed to prevent this reversion to side armor. I place the central pivot or revolving mounting for the gun upon the top of the vertical ornearly vertical armored cylinder. This cylinder extends from the armored deck of the ship to a point a little below the axis of the gun. The cylinder is large enough to receive and support upon its upper end the bed-plate and training-rack for the mounting. The top of the cylinder wouldstandsomeeighteeninches, more or less, above the platform or deck from which the gun would be worked. The internal mean diameter of the cylinder for a sixinch gun-mounting would generally be from four to six feet. Beneath the deck and beneath the bed-plate for the gun-carriage there may be an opening in the armored cylinder through which the ammunition may be passed to the breech of the gun, or the ammunition may, if preferred, pass up through the base of the carriage. The portion of the armored cylinder beneath this pointand down to the armored deck would form an armored cover for the men and apparatus required for passing up the ammunition. The lower end of the armor-cylinder would generally open into a passage-way communicating with the main ammunition-magazines. Where this would be inconvenient, there would be temporary supply or present-use magazines which would be filled up from the main magazines when preparing the ship for action.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 showsa. transverse vertical section of a portion of the ship with the upright or nearly upright armor-plate cylinder, and the quick-firing gun is shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a modified form of cylinder.

In Fig. 1, a is the armored hull of the ship. I) is the shot-proof deck. 0 is the armor-plate cylinder extending up from the shot-proof deck to carry the gun to support the same and to form a passage for the supply of ammunition to it. d is the quick-firing gun with its carriage. e e are the upper decks, and f the side of the ship. These parts a andf are not protected by armor, and the cylinder 0 forms within them a firm support for the gun. a is an opening in the cylinder 0, by which ammunition is conveyed out of it forthe service of the gun.

Fig. 2 shows a stronger cylinder for the larger sizes of quick-firing guns. In this case the cylinder has or may have an innerlining of wood.

WVhat I claim is- 1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the armored deck I), the upper deck or platform e, the side of the Vessel, the armored cylinder 0, fixed rigidly to the armored deck and extending therefrom to the upper deck or platform, and the gun resting on the top of the cylinder.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the armored deck, the hollow armored cylinder, closed at the top, secured to the armored deck and provided with openings for the supply of ammunition, and the gun resting on the top of the armored cylinder.

NATHANIEL BARNABY.

Witnesses:

J NO. H. WHITEHEAD, 24. Southampton Buildings, London.

- THOMAS LAKE. 28 Southampton Buildings, London. 

